United States v. Gomes

BOUDIN, Circuit Judge.

On this appeal, four defendants — Joseph Silva, Julio Serpa, Juvenal Quadros, and Joao Gomes — seek review of their convictions for drug trafficking offenses or of their sentences. The case arises out of a large-scale investigation of drug dealing in and around Lowell, Massachusetts, conducted from the late 1980s until August 1996. Because the sufficiency of the evidence is not disputed, our description of the background and the defendants’ actions is abbreviated and focuses upon the specific drug sales charged in the indictment and involving these defendants.

In April…